ComplexComplicated
by kkkce
Summary: Ed has a little crush on Lt. Hawkeye. The problem becomes a challenge when Al tells him that Roy Mustang may have feelings towards her too. An odd rivalry ensues.
1. Chapter 1

Oedipus complex. That's what Al called it. That uncomfortable boiling resentment Ed felt for his absent father and the obsession to bring his mother back. Ed grunted and waved his little brother aside.

"That's ridiculous, Al," Ed grunted. "If that were true, you have that Oedipus complex too. You wanted to bring mom back, just like I did."

Al had a ready answer. "True, true," the armoured boy said, stroking his helmet-chin like a psychologist would. "Unlike you though, I do not resent my father."

Ed threw a book at Al, and stomped across the room. "What the hell does this thing have to do with my…problem…?"

The younger brother chuckled. "You mean your 'inexplicable' little crush on Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

"Yah-huh!" Ed raised his eyebrows and gave Al a look that said "Duh! That's why I asked you in the first place, but you had to beat around the bush with your psychological analysis and – "

"Okay, Ed, your look says waaay too much," Al said. Ed threw his arms in the air and plopped on the couch in frustration.

"Do something, Al. Say something gross about her. _Anything _to make me stop…blushing when she's around."

"I won't say anything gross about her. She's awesome to me," Al said. Ed frowned. _Not helping, Al, _he said in his mind.

Al sighed. "Well, that's why I'm sharing info about this complex to you. I believe that your feelings toward the lieutenant stem from the Oedipus complex. Therefore, Hawkeye may be your substitute – "

"For mom?" Ed's voice squeaked. "Eewww that's gross. You're saying I have incestuous feelings towards mom and that I want to kill dad. That's screwed up, Al!"

Al leaned sat on the couch next to Ed. "Come on, brother. It's us. _Of course _we're screwed up. Look at our…uh…situation with losing our parents and bodies at a young age."

Ed laughed. "Hell, you're right. Wanna be a shrink once we're back to normal?"

Al paused. "Probably. And you will be my first (and lifetime) patient."

The Fullmetal Alchemist punched him on the shoulder with his automail fist. "What do you mean _lifetime_ patient?"

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was not surprised to find a moody looking Colonel in their office that day. Paperwork did that to a man like him. What Riza was astonished to see was a bouquet of handpicked flowers, still wet from the early morning dew, sitting on her desk. The men were grinning at her as she picked it up.

"Got a secret admirer, First Lieutenant?" Havoc teased. "If it were me, I'd buy roses."

"Aw, I think handpicked is sweeter," Fuery piped. "It says, 'I'm down-to-earth and old-fashioned." Riza and the men looked at the young master sergeant for what seemed like a full minute.

After the long pause, Breda said "I think it says 'I'm gay'". Roy and Jean led the laughter. Even Falman chuckled a bit.

"Stop it." The laughter died down after that. "I believe you, Fuery," Riza smiled. "It does seem sweeter and more humble."

"Oh! Oh! I get it!" Havoc stood up, hand in the air like an eager student. "Fuery put those weeds on Lieutenant Hawkeye's desk! Fuery likes her!"

"They're not weeds." Riza snapped. To Fuery, "Did you?"

Fuery turned red as a tomato. "NO! No, absolutely not! Not that I don't think you're not lovely, Lieutenant – I mean, you really are, but that doesn't mean that that –"

Roy cleared his throat to silence him. His first words of the day were "So who's it from, Lieutenant?" His voice lacked playfulness. It was actually very dry.

"There's no card." Riza hoped there would be one. _How intriguing,_ she thought.

Roy shrugged and reluctantly continued his paperwork. Riza felt he was bothered by something. "Jealous much?"

Roy continued writing without glancing at her. "Send the brothers in."

Fuery immediately knew it was his duty as he was the group's unofficial whipping boy. After a few minutes, the Elrics were in their usual sitting places in the office.

Ed stared at Riza for a moment before glaring at Mustang. "So?"

"So blah blah, Fullmetal," Roy smirked. "You know what I'm about to ask."

"No we did not make much progress towards our goal," Ed replied lazily.

"But we're getting there," Al added. The boy noticed the flowers on Riza's desk. "Um, wow, Lieutenant…"

"Don't start with me." Riza said. "If it's not from you, just don't say anything."

From the corner of his eye, Al was watching Ed's feigned indifference.

"Lieutenant, why are you being so private about this?" Roy asked with slight irritation in his voice. "It's just flowers from someone obviously too scared to leave a card."

Al noticed a vein appear at near Edward's forehead. "Um, if you have no further questions, Sir, maybe we should go…"

"Fine, fine," Roy hissed while keeping his eyes locked on his lieutenant. Riza snapped back, "I think 'shy' is the term you're looking for, Sir. I don't recall leaving gifts _cowardice_."

Al steered Ed outside before it would be too late to get away. "Brother!" he shook Ed's shoulders once they were out of their superior's earshot. "Look what you started! I thought we talked about this."

Ed wiggled out of his grasp and started drawing circles in the ground with his shoe. "I don't think it's really a problem anymore…I mean, it's just a temporary infatuation. Adolescent stuff that will go away."

"And giving in to your infatuation will make it go away?" Al asked, incredulous.

Ed crossed his arms and frowned. "Aw, gimme a break. She's like what – twelve years older than me! That feelings won't last!"

Al sighed. "So the crush will just go away when she's not gorgeous anymore?"

"Aha!" Ed pointed at Al in triumph. "You said 'gorgeous'! You have a crush on her!"

The armoured boy laughed. "Brother, I call them like I see them. She's obviously attractive. It doesn't mean I like her that way you do."

Ed kept silent for quite some time while he paced back and forth. An imaginary light bulb appeared over his head. After which, he grinned at Al. "Indulgence," Ed said. "Indulgence will not make desire go away. In fact, it is like throwing ashes upon flame. The desire will grow stronger."

"Yeah, that's basically what _I _said before," Al tapped his foot impatiently.

"Yet, if I suppress the feelings, they will bottle up…and eventually…boom," Ed continued. "What this dilemma needs is an outside factor to push me away. That outside factor is the object of desire herself. Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Come again?" Al asked. "You want her to dump you?"

Ed frowned and tilted his head to the side. "No, I want her to like me back. But if she doesn't reciprocate my feelings, then I need to accept that. _And then_ the feelings will go away."

Al clapped. "That's very mature of you, brother. To risk losing your head to a sniper's bullets, just like that!"

"Don't do that, Al," Ed growled. "Or I'll think of an even crazier plan."

"Nah, this will probably work," Al said. "Just don't come crying to me when Mommy Riza dumps you. Oh…there's just one more thing though…"

Ed asked what it was. Al replied, "I think Colonel Mustang likes her too."

The Fullmetal Alchemist grinned. "This complex just got more interesting. Eliminate 'daddy' to get to 'mommy'".


	2. Chapter 2

Roy was very uncomfortable with the idea of another man giving attention to Riza. He pulled Jean Havoc aside after work to talk about this.

"Please don't say you're asking me out," Havoc mumbled. He tried to light a cigarette as they walked out of the headquarters. The air was cold, constantly ruining the attempts of the little lighter. Frustrated, he tucked away the unlit cigarette. "The day's ending really badly for me."

"Pshh, it's only a cig," Roy guffawed. "There's a café close by."

"Gawd, you _are_ asking me out. What else could go horribly wrong?" Havoc nonetheless sauntered after his superior to the café.

"It's about Lt. Hawkeye," Roy said.

"Oh?" Havoc forgot about the absent cig and quickened his walking speed to catch up to Roy. "Kindly elaborate."

"Havoc, I know you too well. Once you become a 'gentleman', you want more information." Roy frowned and opened the café door for him.

"And I know you too well to know that you'll slam the door on my ass when I walk through that door!" Havoc shoved Roy inside and sat him down in the corner.

After ordering, Havoc leaned closer and whispered, "Spill the beans, Colonel."

"That I shall," Roy clenched his fist and growled. "_Somebody _forgot the rumour."

Havoc raised his eyebrows so high that they could have come off his head.

"What the hell are you talking about? I thought this was about Hawkeye!"

Roy sighed. "This _is_ about Hawkeye. Now, don't you remember the rumour that started about a month ago? The 'Hawkeye is a lesbian' rumour?"

Havoc nearly upset his cup of coffee when he snorted. The snort turned into an embarrassingly rowdy laughter. "Wh-why are you bringing that up?"

"Shhh, you'll attract attention," Roy warned. "Look, somebody's sending flowers to Hawkeye. Obviously, he forgot about the rumour…unless, he's a _she_…"

Havoc took a bite out of his croissant and waved his hand in front of Roy's face. "Lemme stop you there before you analyze this too much," Havoc said without a mouthful of food. "That rumour was _lame_. Very. Lame."

"But…" Roy scratched his head. "I started that rumour."

Havoc laughed again. "Doesn't change a thing. Still lame."

"Why is it lame?" Roy whined. "She's so tough and intimidating, one would think – "

"She's hot, Roy – that's right, I'm calling you Roy, you poor little nutcase."

Roy sneered. "Under military circumstances, I'd fire you."

"This ain't the military's problem," Havoc retorted. "Hawkeye's too hot, no man would care what the rumours say. Okay, maybe for a while, but after that, she'd be the first thought of every single man's loins once they see her."

Roy reached forward and grabbed Havoc's collar. "See, this is why I started the rumour in the first place. So lusty bastards like you would keep your hands off her."

"I'm not talking about me!" Havoc pushed Roy's hands away and looked around the room. "Our group's a family, like it or not. I'd never do that to a friend like her."

Roy smiled a little and calmed down. "The rumour was quite childish, was it not?"

Havoc sipped his coffee loudly. "Yep. Better think of something else, lover boy Roy."

Roy tensed up and quickly scanned the room. "Shut up. If someone heard you, they'd think we're an item."

Havoc gasped and put down his coffee mug. "Damn, I know better than lifting up my pinky while drinking."

Roy shook his head and rested his chin on his hand. "Once one man starts courting her – and she consents – the rest of the single men will be encouraged to do the same."

"Simple problem, simple answer. Start courting her as well." Havoc shrugged.

Roy blushed madly. "We…I…it's not that simple."

Havoc checked out a waitress at the next table while speaking to Roy. "Forget your history with her father. He's not here anymore, is he? She's not off-limits anymore."

"I promised I'd look after her." Roy slumped his head.

"And you do that by spreading lame rumours? Nope, that's not 'protecting'. Protecting her means taking care of her in the best way you can. By being with her."

"I'd really feel the impact of your words if you weren't ogling that waitress over there," Roy grimaced. "But point taken."

***

Riza almost dropped her bag on Hayate's head when she entered the office. On her desk was a bouquet of roses. Havoc and Colonel Mustang were the only soldiers in the room.

"Did you see who gave these...?" Riza asked. Havoc smirked. Roy was unusually engrossed in paper work again.

"He was good-looking all right." Havoc's smile grew wider when Riza's expression changed from puzzled to completely pleased.

Riza glanced at the Colonel before giving the roses a sniff. "They're lovely."

"I thought you liked handpicked," Roy said.

"And I thought you viewed it as cowardly," Riza said. She gave a soft "ah" when she spotted a card pinned to the bouquet ribbon. Roy and Havoc stared. "I guess he's not too shy anymore."

"What does it say?" Roy asked. His heart was thumping hard.

Riza cleared her throat and recited, "_I think you're beautiful._"

Havoc groaned. "Gross. Could've done better."

"What would've you written?" Riza asked. "Keep saying things like that and I'd think you fancy me, Lieutenant Havoc."

Havoc dismissed her words with a long puff of his cigarette. "Never gonna happen."

"Good," Riza said firmly. "Because I'd never date a co-worker."

Roy looked up and Havoc nearly toppled from his chair. "Ouch," Havoc said.

"It might just get in the way of work, that's all," Riza softened her words and carefully replaced the withered handpicked flowers with the roses. "I'm not really saying never, but…well, let's just see."

Havoc turned to Roy but the Colonel's expression remained blank. Riza stood up and walked towards the door with the vase. "Permission to refill this with water, Sir?"

"Permission granted," Roy said, eyeing her sharply. Once he was sure she was gone, he slammed his fist on the table. "Damn him!"

Havoc rushed over gently punched him on the shoulder. "Should've put your flowers earlier, Sir."

Roy sadly opened his desk drawer to reveal handpicked flowers from Madame Christmas' own garden. He sighed and threw them back in. "This guy's too quick and early! How'd he even enter the office in the first place? That first time and today…how'd he sneak in? Did he have a key? Is he a lock-picker?"

"I dunno," Havoc drummed his fingers on Roy's desk. "Weird thing though…he's become quite sophisticated. It's only been a day since he started."

"Oh God…" Roy cupped his hand to his mouth. He ran towards the door and started examining it. After a few seconds, he looked at Havoc. "He's an alchemist."

"How'd you – "

"We just know. There's a trace an alchemist leaves." Roy mumbled swore under his breath and pulled on his gloves. The door slammed in his face before he could burn it. Riza immediately dragged him to the couch and yelled at Havoc.

"Bring me an ice pack!" She wiped the blood on his nose with her own handkerchief and scolded him. "What were you doing there, Sir?!"

Roy stubbornly brushed her handkerchief away. When she persisted, he allowed her to continue. He tried the best he could to hide his blush. "Nothing, it's nothing."

Riza frowned. "I don't believe you."

The young colonel sighed and pointed to the door. "Notice something familiar there?"

Riza approached the door hesitantly, lest Havoc or any soldier bang it open like she did. "There's trace of alchemical power," she concluded, being a daughter of an alchemist after all.

"Your knight in shining armour's an alchemist, Lieutenant," Roy said.

"Why the grave tone, Sir?" She asked. Havoc walked in and flung the ice pack at Roy. The colonel quickly applied it to his nose.

"Just be careful, Lieutenant," he said. Roy felt more threatened by this invisible rival than ever. Yet, the fight would be fair just in case he'd have the chance to challenge this alchemist in a duel.


	3. Chapter 3

Roy did not go home that day. He created a little hiding place for himself next to the bookshelves. When darkness comes, a black cloak is difficult to distinguish from the shadows cast by moonlight.

_You look ridiculous_, Roy thought to himself. _But, if it means catching this bastard, then it's worth it. I could charge him for breaking and entering my office. _

Of course his determination meant he would have to stay up all night till the early morning because it was hard to guess when the man would visit again. Roy's stomach growled.

"Dammit, I was _not_ ready for this," he complained. Roy stood up and rummaged around his co-worker's desks hoping to find a snack. There was a half-eaten sandwich in Breda's drawer. "Disgusting. But…" Roy bit into it anyway.

_I feel like a squatter in my own office!_ He groaned and continued devouring the sandwich. "Hasn't he heard of vegetables?"

The door creaked slightly. Roy grabbed the cloak and stealthily headed back to his hiding place. The sound of a hand lifting a gun was heard.

"I saw you move. Who the hell are you?" the intruder said.

Roy spun around and sent a small blast of flame towards the man. The man instantly dropped the gun and yelled, "Motherf-!"

"Havoc?" Roy rushed to the man and flipped on the light switch. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Trying to catch this guy," Havoc clutched his sore hand and started to laugh. "I smell Breda's sandwich on you. Poor little Roy."

"Shut your trap, you chimney," Roy sat on his desk and sighed.

"You sigh a hell lot lately," Havoc said. "Look, sorry I disrupted your plan. But it's not too late to catch him. I brought my military cloak."

Roy smirked and slapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks. You're a true friend." After a while, he said, "You're not going to shove pictures of your family under my nose in the future are you?"

Havoc smiled. "Nope. That's strictly Hughes' area. God, I miss that sonovab-"

Roy stood up and switched off the light. "I can feel someone a-creeping."

"A-creeping…hmmm…a-creeping….nice wordplay, ah!" Havoc was pulled from the desk and dragged to the bookshelf corner where he and Roy crouched.

The doorway was disintegrated by alchemy as a tall man with a trench coat and hat stepped in. In the darkness, it was hard to identify him. He was hovering around Hawkeye's desk when Roy and Havoc sprung from their hiding place and took a hold of him.

"Fullmetal?!" Roy dropped the boy's hat when he uncovered the blond braid and golden eyes. "On stilts?"

Ed mumbled something about Roy and Havoc's mothers and manoeuvred his release with a martial arts spin. "Suckers." He clapped his hands together and formed a cage that enclosed the two officers. Roy blasted it away with a snap of his fingers.

"Fullmetal! Explain yourself!" He barked. Ed looked at him with mischief in his eyes.

"Sorry 'bout the breaking in, but…" Edward paused to drink in Mustang's horrified expression. "What Edward Elric wants, Edward Elric gets. That includes the Philosopher's stone and Lieutenant Hawkeye!"

Ed grinned and ran out the door. Roy was too shocked to chase him. The military alarm sounded.

***

Roy and Ed had to explain to the Fuhrer that they were having a little office spat that ended in minor damage. After silently cleaning up the mess, the rest of their co-workers were allowed to enter the room.

"I must say I'm deeply disappointed in the both of you," Riza Hawkeye said. "I hope you've resolved your argument."

Ed blushed, but continued frowning at Mustang. "No we haven't."

Roy sneered at the blond alchemist. "Certainly not. In fact, you'd all be surprised to know that the mysterious man who – "

Alphonse quickly intervened. "The-the Colonel and my brother were arguing about what to do with Scar, the 'mysterious man'. The Colonel suggested prison while Ed suggested – "

"I want to hear it from their mouths," Riza snapped. "Well? Say something!"

Havoc and the men chuckled. Riza was the only person Roy would allow to yell at him. The only person of a lower rank.

Roy spoke first. "Alphonse Elric is telling the truth. That is what we've been arguing about. That and other annoyances…"

Riza faced Ed. She stood akimbo while tapping her foot like an impatient mother or big sister. Ed was turning redder and redder.

"Y-yes. That's what it was. Forgive us, Lieutenant. We didn't mean to…" he said above a whisper.

"Good," Riza said. "Make sure this'll never happen again." She looked fondly at her empty desk. The roses were about the whither. There were no new flowers. With a heavy heart, she walked over to her desk and started working.

"Hey, where's my sandwich?!" Breda frantically threw papers over his shoulder, searching for his lost love. "I've stuffed it with heavenly meats!"

"Unsolicited advice, Breda." Roy tossed a bag of lettuce to him. "Stuff it with greens. Lest you die of a heart attack one day."

Fuery and the others nodded in agreement. Breda harrumphed and brought out another sandwich from his lunch box. "Lettuce doesn't go with PB and J today."

Ed tried to walk towards Hawkeye, but Al pulled him back on the couch. "Sit."

A vein was forming on Roy's temple. _I swear, if he takes one more step…_

First Lieutenant Max Cooper opened the door and saluted. "Permission to speak to Lieutenant Hawkeye, Sir?" he asked. Roy's vein was growing in size.

"Permission granted, but only if you speak to her in front of us," Roy hesitantly said.

Cooper nodded and bowed to Hawkeye. "I would like to ask you out on a date tomorrow night, if that would be okay with you."

Before Roy stood up and burned the living daylights out of Cooper, Havoc gave him a stern look. Riza was dumbstruck and so was Edward.

"I-I…" Riza stammered. She shook her hand and regained her calm. "Why of course, First Lieutenant. I'd be happy to."

Max Cooper was a handsome man with dark brown locks bonded neatly with a ponytail. His eyes were green and his smile was reminiscent of a famous actor's. Before he could leave, Riza stopped him. "By the way, thank you for the flowers."

Cooper scratched his head. "I didn't give any…"

Riza's cheeks burned at her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry. It must've been someone else."

Cooper gave an uneasy laugh. "Hehe, okay….I guess I'll see you at lunch. Then we can talk about the date and time."

When he closed the door, Edward and Roy instantaneously threw balls of paper at it. Riza noticed this and the murderous expressions on Havoc, Fuery, Falman and Breda's faces. A smile tugged at her lips. _They're very protective of me. _

One thought dominated Ed and Roy's minds. One powerful thought that pushed aside all ugly feelings about each other. The confidence Max Cooper displayed in front of the entire office struck a cord within them. One thought occupied their minds the entire day:

_Sabotage. _


	4. Chapter 4

Havoc passed around little notes the next day. "Mustang has mood swings." They were written with a lazy scrawl and a smirking smiley at the end.

"Yeah!" Breda replied on the same tiny piece of paper. "Moody Mustang is so much more fun than regular Mustang."

Breda nudged Fuery and surreptitiously forced the paper into his hand. "Pass to Havoc."

Fuery gulped but held his ground. "Guys, shhh…if Colonel Mustang caught you – "

"He would what, Fuery?" Roy's fiery gaze ironically sent chills up Fuery's spine. The young subordinate merely trembled. Mustang snatched the paper from him and burned it with a snap of his fingers. "At a loss for words now, are we? Well, let me finish for you. He'd burn you – _all _you note-passing little schoolgirls – to a crisp. A wafer crisp which he would then eat and spit out with relish."

After mumbling small apologies, the men returned to their work. Lieutenant Hawkeye usually dealt with problems like these, but she hadn't come back yet from an errand.

"What the hell is taking her so long?" Roy growled. As if on cue, the lieutenant burst through the door, panting.

She quickly saluted. "I'm very sorry for being late, Sir. It will never happen again."

"It'd better," Roy replied. After a few minutes of peace, he spoke again. "So are you seriously going out with Lt. Cooper?"

"Yes," Riza replied with a sharp glance. "Are you objecting, Sir?"

"Yes," he smirked as he absorbed her surprised expression. "I do object."

"Well, why do you…you," Riza was at a loss for words, but quickly reverted to her stern self.

"Out of concern," Roy spun his chair around and faced the window. "You barely know him. Honestly, neither do we. We don't trust him."

"Men?" Riza asked Havoc and the others. "Is it all right if I go out with Lt. Cooper?"

The men looked at each other, then at Roy and shook their heads.

Riza frowned and scribbled furiously. "Hmf. As if that's going to change anything."

***

Max Cooper was wrapping up for the day. With his boss and co-workers gone, he whistled a little tune. He'd be on a date with the beautiful Riza Hawkeye tonight. And maybe after that…

Something made the hair on his nape stand. It was suddenly very cold. If he kept his eyes open long enough, he swore that the wall was moving slowly. Faces. He could see faces in the walls. They wanted him. Hands were reaching out. He let out a scream.

***

"Brother! I can't believe you!" Al spotted Edward in Central garden with his hands pressed against the headquarters' wall. Max Cooper's scream was heard from the window a few floors from where the brothers were. "You're scaring Cooper!"

"Aw come on, Al," Ed stopped the alchemy and shrugged. "It's either _this _or _harassment_. I pick this."

"It's not right!" Al grabbed his arm and led him away from the headquarters' wall. "You'll get into so much trouble."

"With whom? The Colonel? He should be thanking me," Ed laughed. "If I scared Cooper enough tonight, he may be too rattled to go out with Riza."

"Umm…" Al twitched. Ed looked at him quizzically. Al continued, "If there's one thing I learned from being around hundreds of soldiers – grown men, I mean – every day – well, I haven't experienced this myself, being a soul in armour, but what I understand is that – "

"Just spit it out, Al!" Ed yelled. "Don't beat around the damn bush!"

"Okay, fine. If there's one thing I learned, it's that nothing can keep a healthy young man away from…um…his _intentions_."

Ed would have had a heart attack. One, his brother was growing up. Two, Cooper would most probably still see Riza in minutes.

***

A few seconds ago, faces were about to swallow him alive. Now, the walls were blank. Cooper grabbed his things and ran as fast as his shaky legs could carry him. After going down a flight of steps and passing by very concerned and curious soldiers, he tripped. He did not know what he tripped on or if it was even an object that caused his fall. The next thing he remembered was waking up in a broom closet. His hands and feet were bound, his gun was nowhere to be found, but his mouth was left uncovered. There was a throbbing pain on the back of his head, meaning a person struck him after he tripped. He screamed for help.

Metres away, Roy and Havoc were making their way to the restaurant where Riza would meet Cooper. "You did not just do that, Mustang…" Havoc started.

"Oh yes I did," Roy smiled mischievously. "It was only a trip and a tap on the head."

"You locked and bound the fella!" Havoc said. He pulled Roy into an alley when he saw Riza make her way to the restaurant.

"Thanks, Havoc," Roy said. Havoc spat in a corner and frowned.

"Don't thank me, you obsessive bastard. If someone saw you assault Cooper, your chances of becoming the Fuhrer will be narrowed down to zero."

Roy shrugged and took out binoculars. "No one saw me, so shut up. Now, for the next part of my plan…"

Havoc grumbled. And lit a cigarette. "Don't tell me you're gonna go in there and take advantage of her vulnerable state. I'll lose all respect for you."

"No, it's not that…" Roy bit lowered the binoculars and clenched them hard. "What have I done? She's going to feel so…"

"What you did to Cooper was a crime of passion," Havoc said.

Roy guffawed. "It's not like I killed the guy! But…" his face went dark. "I've done something terrible to Hawkeye. Come, Havoc."

"Where to now?" Havoc rubbed his forehead and followed his superior.

"To rescue Cooper."

Back at Central, Roy spotted Cooper in the middle of a small crowd. Being an officer, he made his way to the centre. "Lieutenant Cooper, are you all right? What happened?"

"Aw…I don't know, Sir. So far, the guy who attacked me took nothing from my superior's office," he said. "Nothing important is missing, according to these soldiers," he pointed at the crowd. "I'm just really really very tired."

Roy patted the man at the back and helped him up. "Come. I'll drive you to your date with Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Oh! Oh jeez, I almost forgot!" he said, with a high-pitched voice. "B-but, ah, I don't know…something just really freaked me out in our office. Some faces in walls, I…"

The men stared at him. "I don't think I could make it tonight. I'm really confused, freaked, I think the stress is getting to me…"

"And is there an investigation going on?" Roy barked at the surrounding soldiers. "To find who attacked this man?"

"Yes, Sir!" one replied. "So far, no witnesses and no clues! Except alchemy trace in Cooper's office, according to one of our investigators."

_Shorty's fault, _Roy thought. _Eh. Works just fine. They'll never suspect the boy genius. Nor me._

"Please apologize to Lt. Hawkeye for me," Cooper saluted. "I will file for a leave with my superior officer."

After Cooper and the other soldiers left, Roy had to keep himself from smirking.

"Havoc," Roy said. "I want you to follow these instructions carefully. This is phase two of my plan."

Havoc huffed and slumped his back against the wall. "What is it now?"

"I want you to go to Hawkeye and offer to be her substitute date. Just as a friend."

"That's pretty selfless of you to make me want to do that," Havoc's face lit up.

"Also, find out everything you can about her feelings for me, if any," Roy said. "Hurry before the shrimp sees her first."


	5. Chapter 5

Lieutenant Havoc took off his military jacket and made his way to Riza's table. His heart was beating quicker than he expected, and it almost made him feel like he was on a real date with her – not a "date" to extract information for Roy.

"Man, I feel like such a – " He stopped and felt her gaze on him. "Well, too late to turn back now."

"Lt. Havoc," Riza nodded politely. "Here for a date as well?"

"Err…actually I got stood up," Havoc said. _Quick thinking, Jean! _he praised himself.

Riza cocked her head to the side and said 'Aww', a gesture that meant she felt sorry for him but also unsurprised. He had been stood up before – many times in fact.

"That's all right. We're in the same predicament," she said. "Max hasn't arrived yet. It's been almost an hour."

Havoc waited for her to invite him to sit with her, but all she did was sip some more wine. When it seemed like she wouldn't extend the invitation, he had to volunteer the idea himself. "Hey, I've got a crazy idea."

"For the last time, Lieutenant, I don't smoke," she said.

"No – I mean, yeah I know – but hey, why don't we get back at our dates by going on one ourselves? You know, right now." When he noticed her expression darken, he chose his words more carefully. "Let me be your friendly date for tonight. Just so we won't be feeling too grumpy by the end of the day."

"All right…" She hesitated before offering him a seat. "I guess we should order dinner then."

***

The colonel was spying on his subordinates from the adjacent building. Luckily for him, it was Madame Christmas' bar. It would've been easier if Riza and Cooper decided to have their date in the bar, but of course, a romantic restaurant is always the best way to go on a first date.

"Jealous aren't you, Roy boy," Madame Christmas teased from behind him, making him gasp and drop his binoculars. "Little Roy wants little Riza all to himself. What a selfish kid you are."

"I'm just…just…" Roy stammered. Madame Christmas raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Roy sighed and sat on the damp wooden floor. "You've really got to get this room fixed. The leak from the roof really –"

"Don't change the topic Roy boy," his aunt warned (A/N: see the newest FMA guidebook! Madame Christmas is Roy's aunt).

Roy looked wistfully at Riza and Havoc chatting. "What's wrong with being a little selfish now and then?"

"I know you've always liked her, my boy. Ever since her father took you in for training. But, be careful in the way you handle a woman's heart."

***

Edward couldn't believe what he was seeing. He half-expected Cooper to show up, but instead, good ol' Havoc was sitting in his chair and making Riza laugh. _Making Riza laugh!_

"She looks so beautiful laughing," he whispered. Al agreed but almost bumped into the glass when he realized whom she was with.

"That's - !"

"What the hell is he doing there?" Ed clenched his fists. "Oh that sneaky bastard Colonel…"

***

Roy heard Ed's voice and immediately saw the armour and the shrimp with their faces pressed against the restaurant's windows like beggars. I few waiters had to shoo them away before Ed showed them his pocket watch. He was immediately granted access.

_Coward!_ Roy scolded himself. _Damn coward! The shrimp is braver than you!_

Meanwhile, Edward had similar thoughts in his head. _Stupid coward! If you asked Riza out sooner, the Colonel wouldn't have gotten to her…via Havoc._

"Edward!" Riza called out when she saw him. Actually, she spotted Al first, but she didn't want the sensitive Fullmetal to be embarrassed by his comparatively shorter height.

The brothers ran over to the table, Al constantly apologizing for knocking over a drink or two with his elbows.

"Ah, Lieutenants Hawkeye and Havoc, so nice to see you here," Ed said in a self-conscious formal voice. "My brother and I just heard about the delectable food in this restaurant."

"That's nice, Edward. Hello Al, don't be shy. Come over here," she coaxed the boy. A second table was added to accommodate the two.

"Err…" Havoc leaned over to whisper to Ed. "Now's not exactly the right time to, you know, barge in like that."

"Aw shadup Havoc," Ed said, returning to his childish demeanour. "I know you're just here coz Mustang put you up to it."

"Oh yeah? You don't think _I _can get Riza Hawkeye? Watch me, bean," Havoc smirked. Ed shivered when he saw a trace of Colonel Mustang in Havoc's words and newfound confidence.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Al asked. "What do military personnel talk about when the work is over?"

"Alphonse, work is never over when you're in the military," Riza smiled. "Jean and I were just talking about guns." The young brothers were slightly frightened by this.

Havoc unexpectedly became red in the cheeks. _Oh God, my name sounds so sexy when she says it. Bless my parents for giving me a French name. _He became more determined to foil any of Edward's plans. He constantly stirred Riza away from any topic the brothers came up with. It was a gift knowing Riza longer than they did.

Halfway through dinner, Ed was starting to panic. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve when he couldn't think of anything else to say. He couldn't discuss the Philosopher's stone with her for obvious reasons. They chatted about Winry for a good few minutes before Havoc asked questions about automail that only an otaku like Winry could possibly answer. He tried talking about the adventures he and Al had, but that was overshadowed by Havoc's news about Scar's whereabouts.

"I'm sure the Colonel will be fine, Riza," Havoc said. If she called him Jean, he could call her by her first name as well. "That city is far from central. The authorities will be warned immediately if anyone sees a man with…"

This went on for a while. Riza listened patiently, leaving no room for Ed to interrupt. Ed felt that Riza might have been feeling rather guilty for leaving work early to go on a date, therefore, missing the reports about Scar before the work day officially ended. And so she listened. Ed also knew deep in his heart, that Riza put Roy's safety above all else.

"…there. We'll be ready if he even dares," Havoc concluded. He rapidly glanced at his watch. "I guess it's time for me to get going. But this won't be a real date if I didn't drive you home." He held his hand out to her. She took it.

"Thank you for spending time with us, boys," Riza smiled. "It was nice."

Al stared at Ed, waiting for a reaction, but Ed just nodded and poked his last piece of shrimp with his fork. _Damn, I'm eating a shrimp and I don't even care about the obvious shrimp jokes…_

***

Roy was hidden in the bushes when Havoc drove up to Riza's apartment building. _Good man, Havoc! No shrimp in sight. _Roy crouched down and listened to the rustling of the keys and friendly goodbyes.

"I'm glad you had a great time tonight, Riza. It was my pleasure," Havoc said. _Ohmanohmanohman, I know the Colonel's right there watching…please please don't let anything bad happen._

Riza looked away sadly. Havoc put his hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong? Didn't you have a good time?" Havoc's hand burned when he touched her. _My God, what's happening to me? Do I like her that way? Roy's gonna kill me._

"It was wonderful, Jean. It's just that…I was expecting…" she trailed off and bit her lip.

"Expecting Cooper. I know," Havoc took his hand away and rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry I'm not what you expected."

"No, I mean," Riza said. "I anticipated this would be my chance to have a – "

Roy's heart was beating three times faster than he ever remembered. He held his breath at the same time Havoc held his. What was she going to say?

"Have my…kiss." Riza fumbled with the keys, but kept her feet still.

"Your kiss?" Havoc said, clueless. After a while, he understood. "Wh…you never had your first kiss yet? Riza Hawkeye, never been kissed?!"

There was nothing Roy wanted to do more than run out of the bushes and kiss Riza. She would kill him for sure, so he continued to observe from a distance.

"I was never very interested in boys when I was a teenager," Riza said. "The only boy around was the Colonel, and he was strictly off-limits."

_Off-limits? What does she mean by that? Who told her I was off-limits?_ Roy asked himself. Then it dawned on him. Her father. Professor Hawkeye must have ordered her not to be enamoured by the young student. He wanted Roy to concentrate. _And for this whole time, I thought it was only she that was off-limits. _

"Well…you'll have your kiss soon. You're a lovely good woman, Riza. I'm sure many men – and there are many – would want to kiss you." Havoc touched her shoulder again. _Stooop touching her! _He told himself. _Roy will incinerate you!_

Roy was too busy blaming Professor Hawkeye to notice Havoc's uneasiness. But the next scene caught him off guard and almost sent him flying into an uncontrollable frenzy. Before Havoc took his hand away from Riza's shoulder, Riza held on to it tightly. So tightly that Havoc was unable to leave. She grabbed his collar with her free hand and pulled him closer for a soft kiss.

Roy was burning inside. He did not know if he was angrier at Havoc or himself.

"I guess we both lose tonight," a voice behind him whispered. Roy turned to see Edward covered with leaves. He growled. "Dammit they're kissing too long!"


	6. Chapter 6

(A/N: The newest FMA Guidebook is currently available in Japan. I haven't found scans yet, but an article on the FMA Wiki says that the info about Chris Mustang being Roy's aunt from his father's side came from such a guidebook. By the way, I hope you noticed the very subtle hints in previous chapters that Havoc is being a little flirty with Riza.)

Roy was in agony. The seconds that passed when Havoc and Riza kissed were like minutes to him. Time slowed down when painful things happened. But he did not stir. The Fullmetal Alchemist was his opposite in this regard. The boy fidgeted uncomfortably and was ready to pounce. Roy grabbed his arm and gave him a warning look.

Just as Edward was about to protest, they heard Havoc and Riza pull away abruptly. Havoc covered his mouth as if he were about to vomit. Riza, to their surprise, was doing the same.

"Oh my God…" Havoc said. "That felt so…"

"Wrong," Riza said without missing a beat. "Very very wrong."

Havoc leaned against the wall and took out a cigarette. "I'm gonna be sick. Need a fix."

"Your fix is going to make you sick," Riza said. After Havoc sighed after the cigarette touched his lips, he appeared as though everything was clear to him.

"I get it…I get it…that's right." Turning to her, he continued, "I felt like I was kissing my sister when we kissed."

"That's so sick, Havoc," Riza said. _Aw, I'm not 'Jean' anymore. Oh well. It won't work out anyway. _

"I'm serious, Hawkeye," he said. "I don't have a sister, and yet…gee, I guess you _are _sorta like a sister to me. I never thought about it that way a while ago, but it's clear now. We have no chemistry whatsoever."

Riza laughed a bit. "Though we do connect well in chats. I never knew you'd be that interesting. But you're right. We have no physical chemistry. Kiss proved that."

Roy and Ed almost collapsed with relief when they heard those words. That did not stop them from planning what they would do to Havoc once he said goodnight to Riza.

"Plus, the colonel would kill me if he knew," Havoc muttered to himself. Riza heard that, being only a foot away from him.

"He's very protective. All of you are," she said. "It's flattering, but I can take care of myself. I've always done so."

"Well, the colonel's a lot more protective than we are," Havoc smiled. "He really really likes you. In the romantic way, hopefully, and not the obsessive-possessive-maniac sort of way."

Edward turned away to hide his guffaw. Roy had to stop himself from frying the bean and Havoc.

"If he likes me, he should ask me out," Riza said. "And not hide behind the bushes like a stalker."

Roy froze. Before Ed crept away, the lieutenant called sharply to him as well. They had to come out or be forced out by a bullet. Or two.

"Ehehehe, how long did you – " Roy started.

"Long enough. But after the kiss," she said. Her expression remained neutral, almost cold. "Edward? Explain yourself. Are you the colonel's accomplice too?" she asked.

Ed swung his pocket watch around nervously. Riza turned to Havoc. "And you? Was this some sort of set up to extract information from me? What happened to Max Cooper?"

Havoc took a deep breath. "Cooper's all right, but a little shaken thanks to these two. Yeah, I was part of the colonel's plan, but in the middle of the date, I actually thought I was falling for you."

Riza, though growing angry, believed Havoc's words. She could read his eyes. "I'll forgive you for this one. Though I feel rather tricked by all this."

"I'm sorry lieutenant!" Roy said. "_We're _very sorry. I promise to be straightforward starting from this moment on." He stepped closer. "Would you like to go out with me?"

"NO!" Edward found his voice. "No! You should go out with me! _I _gave you the handpicked flowers! And the roses too!"

Riza raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "You gave me the flowers, Ed?"

"Shrimp likes you," Roy sneered.

"Oh Ed, that's…well, I…they were lovely," Riza said in broken speech. "But I'm too old for you…"

Ed frowned. "Give me a chance! I swear you won't regret it." He smirked at Roy and added, "As you all know, I exceed expectations."

"He's just a kid, Riza," Roy said. "You were telling Havoc that you had feelings for me too…" he said with hope in his voice.

"First of all," Riza turned to the apartment door and unlocked it violently. "Nobody tells me whom to date. And second of all, I _loathe _espionage in all forms. Whether it be in the battlefield," she stared daggers at Roy. "Or in romance."

After yanking the door open she gazed at the three males sternly. "Goodnight gentlemen."

"Hawkeye! You can't possibly stay that mad at me. I was just a pawn here," Havoc pleaded. A vein appeared in Roy's temple again. _Et tu, Havoc?_

"I'm not mad at anyone," Riza said. "Just rather disappointed. But I will see you all at work and eventually forget about the whole thing. Unless you change your attitudes now."

"Yes ma'am!" Ed said enthusiastically. "Will you go out with me?"

Riza couldn't help smiling at the boy's perseverance. "I guess I could give you one date, if that would make you happy."

Ed nearly melted. Roy frowned and held up his hand like schoolboy. "What about me? I'm your oldest friend! Come on, if you date shorty, you must date me too!"

"That doesn't add up, Colonel," Riza said. "But I will go out with you – that goes for you too, Edward – without any romantic ideas whatsoever. These are strictly friendly dates."

"Understood," they replied like true soldiers. "We will discuss the matter in a professional and orderly way," Roy said, referring to Ed.

"Uh yeah," Ed said. "Everything the ba- I mean, the colonel, said."

.

.

.

_You're going down, Fullmetal shrimp_.

_You're going down, you smirky bastard Colonel._


	7. Chapter 7

On the way back to the apartment building that the military men shared, Havoc felt it was necessary to apologize ahead of time in order to avoid Roy and Edward's outbursts – and possible murder.

But the two alchemists would have none of that peace. According to them, Havoc deserved a few wallops.

"I understand that you feel this way!" Havoc said, holding both hands up in defence. "But…see it didn't work out! No chemistry…she's like a sister to me…"

Roy grabbed Havoc's collar. He was not dangerously angry, but still very pissed. After staring at him hard, he pushed him to Edward. "I still can't believe _you_ were her first kiss."

"Yeah!" Ed agreed and transmuted Havoc's cigarette pack into ordinary paper and tobacco leaves. Havoc groaned. "It should've been me."

Roy laughed and wiped a tear away. "Y-you're not serious are you, Fullmetal?"

"I'm so serious, I'll kiss her at the end of our first date to prove it to you!" Ed retorted angrily. "Just because I'm a couple years younger, doesn't mean I – "

"She's not going to be interested in you," Roy said. "First of all – "

"Let me stop you right there," Ed said, knowing Roy would comment on his height. "Hawkeye is not the type of woman who cares about looks. I mean," Ed poked Havoc in the ribs. "She kissed _this _guy."

"Wha - hey!" Havoc yelled. He rubbed his chin and said "Look, before you guys start insulting each other – and me – all the more, remember that Riza is only going out with you on friendly dates."

"Dammit," Roy said. "I can't put on the moves."

"You don't have any," Ed sneered. Roy turned red.

"What do you mean by that?!" Roy shook his fist at the boy. "I do have moves!"

"Nu-uh. A trusty source told me that those women you 'date'…" Ed put his arm around Roy and whispered in his ear. "Were only _informants_."

Roy's ears grew pink. Ed continued his torture. "It's been years since you've been on an actual date with a real girlfriend."

The young colonel gripped Ed's coat and reeled the boy even closer so their faces were only centimetres apart. "Who. Told. You. That…"

Ed smirked and pretended to zip his lips. The blond alchemist yanked his coat away from the colonel's grip and walked away triumphantly. "See ya at work, Colonel."

Roy mumbled, "Oh you bet, pipsqueak" and strode to his apartment.

Havoc, feeling it was his duty to keep the peace, called out "Remember, Friendly Dates only!"

"Yeah, yeah," the two alchemists grumbled.

***

Havoc entertained the possibility that what he was experiencing just might be true. He swore at least four military women winked at him on his way to Mustang's office. A fifth one was coming towards him right now. He pinched himself and gave her his best smile.

Later on, he entered the colonel's office jumping and whooping. Roy was still irritated with him, so he quickly ordered him to keep it down. Riza was curious and asked him what was going on.

"Sergeant Andrews asked me out! I was asked out!" Havoc punched the air.

"I take it that this Sgt. Andrews is a woman?" Riza said with rare humour. The men couldn't help laughing at this question.

Havoc was not annoyed. Instead, he stood up and grabbed Riza's hands. "Of course she is. And I have you to thank for it!"

"Me?" Riza said.

"Jane Andrews told me that you told Rebecca Catalina who told Maria Ross who told Denny Brosh who let it slip to Major Armstrong who told Catherine Elle Armstrong who told a college friend who told a friend who told a military friend who told _everybody _that you kissed me!"

Riza was too stunned to reply. Roy looked rather amused by the story and the rest of the men looked upset.

"You kissed Second Lieutenant Havoc?" Fuery squeaked. "And didn't tell us? We thought we were your family!"

"Hmf. I thought _everybody_ knew," Breda said. "I guess we're outcasts. That's what we get for being Mustang's men."

"Shut the – " Roy was about to snap his fingers, but decided against it. "When people say _everybody_, they usually mean all the gossipy women."

"True," Riza said. "I'm happy for you, Havoc."

"Thanks! I'm happy for me too!" Havoc was in a state of giddiness throughout the day, even as his coworkers' tension arose as Ed and Al arrived. Though Breda and co. didn't know about the rivalry of the two alchemists, the Elrics' visits were not exactly full of joy.

"Here are my reports," Ed said, dumping the stack of papers on Roy's desk. "More than half are yours to fill out."

Roy created an inkblot on a scrap of paper, dark enough to bleed through to the table. Riza was observing them, so they feigned formality. "Why…thank you, Fullmetal."

"No problem, Colonel," Ed gritted his teeth through a fake smile. Al sighed and prayed things won't get out of hand.

"I have special instructions for you," Roy said, sliding a note to Edward with his index finger. "For your next 'mission'."

Ed flipped over the note. In neat cursive writing, the colonel had written, "I suggest taking the lieutenant dancing."

Ed controlled himself from strangling the colonel right then and there. Roy was getting him back for last night's comment by challenging him to do something he was very uncomfortable with. Dancing was the activity that made Ed's short height the most obvious.

The boy scribbled something hastily on the note and slid it back to Roy. He wrote, "I bet you can't put on the moves in a carnival, you highly-strung fraidy cat."

Ed mock-bowed and dragged Al out of the room before he could ask questions. As soon as they left, Roy incinerated the paper.

_Highly-strung?_ "Men," Roy announced. "Am I highly strung?"

After a few awkward moments, the soldiers nodded. "For one, you can't stand being called that," Fuery said. "A laid-back individual like Havoc would just pass off the comment by saying 'Nahhh'." Havoc gave Fuery a thumbs-up for that.

Breda took a bite out of his sandwich and said through chewing, "You're a bit obsessive. Little things shake you up."

"Am I not calm and cool and collected?" Roy stood up abruptly, scaring them.

"In the worst of times, you are," Riza said. "Which is good. But trivial things like Edward's comments quickly irk you."

"I apologize for that," Roy said. "I hope this doesn't ruin our chances with you."

Breda nearly choked on his sandwich. "Wait, what now? We're the last to know about Havoc getting a date, and now this? Are we your men or what?"

"Sorry," Roy said sheepishly and started doodling on his paperwork. "But you can't possibly be that blind _and _stupid. Has it not been rather obvious?"

"Well," Falman cupped his chin and stared at the ceiling fan. "The flowers…we couldn't have known it was from Edward."

"Not the Fullmetal thing. I'm referring to my…admiration…for…"

"It's taken you too damn long," Breda said. "That the sexual tension has grown thick enough for me to cut it with a knife."

"I will not tolerate this discussion," Riza said coldly. "My feelings for the Colonel are generally platonic, but we do share a special friendship that stemmed from childhood. That is all."

"Nothing more?" Roy said hopefully.

"I will not answer that question," Riza said. "Now if you don't want me to stand you up on our outing together, it would be wise to just be quiet and do your paperwork, Sir."

Roy did as told, as if he wasn't the boss of his own unit. While darkening the inkblot, he suddenly remembered the words 'carnival' and 'fraidycat' that Fullmetal wrote. His irritation shifted from 'highly-strung' to those two cursed words. How did Edward Elric know about that story?

After this ordeal was over, he would definitely force Fullmetal to tell him who this trusty informant was and why he/she enjoyed leaking embarrassing information out.


	8. Chapter 8

Though it was impossible to tell, Alphonse was rolling his eyes whenever Edward brought up the topic of how he got on Mustang's nerves. He had heard the story reiterated for a couple of days now, and to Al, it was not that interesting at all.

"He was controlling it, but I know exactly how his face would have looked like, had I stayed to watch!" Ed said. "Hey Al, easy on the tie…"

"Geez, do it yourself then!" Al threw his hands up and marched out of the room. Ed scratched his head and followed him.

"Hey…hey what's the matter with you?" Ed pulled up a chair and leaned over to examine Al. "You okay?"

"Are _you_ okay?!" Al snapped. "This is so going against my original advice, brother!"

"Oh that," Ed laughed nervously. "Ah, well, my own decisions got me where I am today! I'm going on a date with Hawkeye tonight!" With a devious grin, he added, "She chose _me _first. Mustang goes second next week."

"I _know_. You've said that a million times already," Al said. "Winry wasn't too pleased you kept repeating that story to her yesterday."

"Eh?" Ed said. "She seemed pretty happy for me. She was smiling."

"In her Winry-esque way," Al stood up and pointed a finger at Ed. "The smile meant, _I'm gonna killllll him_."

"Why is everyone against this?!" Ed yelled. "This is me, probably in love."

"No, this is you – probably crazy!" Al headed to the kitchen and started dicing carrots with unbelievable speed. "Insane. Wrong. So wrong."

"Sooo unsupportive." Ed leaned back in his chair. "Just wait. I'll show all of you."

"Sooo stubborn," Al said to himself as he continued dicing. "This is my last warning. You're probably gonna feel pretty bad about yourself at the end."

"Al, we don't need that much carrots for the stew!" Ed said. Al sighed. His older brother was definitely not paying attention to his warnings.

***

Roy watched the scotch glow in the dim lighting of Madame Christmas' bar. "Highly-strung. Hmf. He's the one who's so easily pissed by _short jokes_."

Madame Christmas dumped the dirty dishes into the sink, shattering some. "Oh for Pete's sake, kid" she said from the kitchen. "Let the damned thing go!"

"Fullmetal started it." Roy pouted like a child.

Madame Christmas flicked Roy's forehead. "Oh yeah, sure, _about a week ago_."

"I just can't believe it," Roy said, unfazed. "Fullmetal? My rival for Hawkeye's affections. A kid roughly half my age…"

"Don't worry, you're an equal match," the Madame said. Roy's startled expression made her laugh. "Roy, you're acting like a fifteen-year old experiencing first love. So you and Fullmetal are equal in your puppy-like childishness."

"So shameful." Roy gulped down his entire drink. "I won't even deny you're right. I've sunk down to and adolescent's level. Another scotch on the rocks, Madame."

Madame Christmas swiped the empty glass from Roy's hand. "That's enough for you tonight, Roy boy."

"I'm still sober," Roy said. "Come on, I want to forget about the idiotic carnival thing…"

The woman laughed. "You still haven't gotten over your fear of…"

"_Silencio_, Madame," Roy hissed. "Fullmetal's informant might be around."

"Hmm, this might be something bad," Madame Christmas said. "But what if the informant betrayed info to the military?"

"I don't think so," Roy said. "Fullmetal may be a pain in the ass, but I don't think he'll trust a shady informant with my personal business."

"You trust him with your life, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes I do." Roy's eyes were sharp and serious, regardless of the drinks. "I know for a fact that he and I are on the same side when it comes to these things. But…"

Roy slammed his fist on the table. "I can't forgive him for forcing me back into _that_ _place_ for my first date with Hawkeye…"

"And I bet he won't forgive you for forcing him to dance on his first date ever," Madame Christmas laughed heartily. "You kids have your own version of the word 'fair'."

"Oh crap…" Roy palmed his forehead. "Fullmetal's date is tonight! I _have _to see this firsthand!"

Before Madame Christmas could stop him, Roy had grabbed his coat and was out the door. The woman shrugged and surveyed the empty bar. "Well at least he visited."

***

Ed's hands shook as he fastened his cufflinks. "Al help me out here! I'm too nervous."

Al pretended to concentrate on his alchemy book. Ed grabbed Al's helmet.

"Hey!" Al's head said. "My body can't read without my head."

"Help me!" Ed said. "I'm freaking out here! What if…what if…"

"Calm down," Al said. "That's all I can offer you now. You're on your own."

"Thanks a lot," Ed said sarcastically. "I feel über-confident thanks to your words."

"Glad to help," Al said dryly. "Now return my head to my body, or my body will kick your ass."

Ed grumbled and complied. "I really wish this would go well. I can't believe I'm going out with Riza Hawkeye!"

"Neither can we," Al said as Ed put on his top hat. "A top hat? Really?"

"I'm gonna dance tonight," Ed said. "And I'm _not_ wearing high heels or stilts to match her height." After checking himself in the mirror and muttering 'not bad', Ed headed off to pick up Hawkeye.

Upon arriving there, he was pleased to see she was already in front of the apartment building. "You look…very fashionable, Edward," she said. She wore a scarlet turtleneck and a matching skirt. Casual and lovely. Ed felt like a fool wearing a formal coat and top hat.

"I…er…I could change if you want," Ed said. "I could easily transmute these into something that matches your style, Miss Riza." He relaxed a bit when she smiled and didn't shoot him for calling her by her first name.

"Yes, definitely transmute it," she said, eyeing the top hat. "That looks awkward."

"Oh," Ed laughed. He transmuted the clothes into a maroon blazer, red shirt, and black pants. "Is this better?"

"Red looks really good on you," Riza said. "Hence my dress tonight."

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod_ Ed thought to himself. "You look lovely, Miss Riza."

"Why thank you, Edward," she said, linking her arm into his. "Shall we head off to our destination?"

Ed, confidence regained, transmuted his top hat into a felt brooch in the shape of a rose. He handed it to her and said "And so we shall."

Riza accepted the brooch and with a stern expression, said "Just to be clear, I'm treating this as a gift without romantic connation."

Ed wiped a bead of sweat from his temple. "Y-yes, of course. Hehe."

***

Ed brought Riza to a Xingese restaurant complete with the comforting golden hues of dragon statues and lanterns. He reserved an outdoor table in the garden where a live band and dancing took place. He scanned the vicinity, knowing that Roy Mustang was somewhere spying on them. So far, the only familiar faces were of Ling and his masked bodyguards eating. He felt sick when he thought of the trouble those three would cause, but he was put at ease when Ling merely waved.

The young alchemist pulled out a chair for Riza like a true gentleman and waited till she was fully seated before he took his own, making sure he had his back to Ling, Ran Fan and Fuu. "The dumplings here are amazing," Ed said. "I could _live_ here forever!"

"I trust your judgement on food," Riza said. "I'm not a picky eater, so I'll have whatever you'll be having."

"You won't regret it." Ed absentmindedly motioned for a waiter. "Trust the palate of a hungry travelling alchemist."

Ed was glad that the lieutenant was warm and friendly with him, though he secretly wished that she would show at least some romantic affection. He would know during the dance. It scared the hell out of him, but he had taken a few lessons from Armstrong. He knew the waltz that had been "passed down from generation to generation of Armstrongs"!

After dinner and during dessert, the young alchemist kept a watchful eye out for any of Mustang's sabotages, but nothing happened. _I know you're here,_ Ed thought. _Come out come out, you bastard_.

"Edward, are you all right?" Riza asked. "You seem distracted."

"Ahehe, it's nothing," Ed said. "I was just…"

"Worried that Colonel Mustang would ruin your dinner plans?" Riza correctly guessed. "Don't be. I've talked to him beforehand. He swore he wouldn't do anything."

"But I can sense he's here," Ed said. "That bas- I mean, guy – won't give up!"

"It's fine," Riza said. "He's been sitting a few tables away this whole time, but he hasn't done much but watch and eat anyway."

The hair at the back of Ed's head stood up. He slowly turned around and saw a bunch of strangers and Ling's group. "Where?"

Riza pointed. Ed's jaw dropped. Ling, seeing this, nudged "Fuu" in the ribs while chomping on drumstick. "Sheespottedya" he said, through mouthfuls.

"Now give back my grandfather's mask and suit!" Ran Fan said. Roy hesitantly complied and took of the items. He appeared visibly irritated and embarrassed.

"Nice work Hawkeye," he called out.

Riza smirked and tapped Ed's arm. "Don't mind him. Now relax."

"I can't relax with him over there, watching every move!" Ed said.

"You anticipated he was here anyway, so get over it," she said kindly.

"Hello!" a waitress chirped. "Is there anything else I could get you and your son?"

_Danger!_ Ed thought. He was too nervous to speak. A vein appeared in Riza's temple, but she remained calm in speech. "Well, I _was_ going to order another sorbet for me and my young _friend _here, but I've just lost my appetite."

The waitress bit her lip. "Oops. I-I guess I should give you the bill then…a-am I right?"

"Yes, and I'll pay," Ed said, finding his voice. "My treat for my _friend_ Miss Riza."

"Allrighty," the waitress said, rushing away. "Weirdoes."

After a painful silence-filled minute, Riza blurted, "Do I look old enough to be your mother, Edward?!"

"N-no! Of course not!" Ed said. "You're still a young woman."

"Hmf," Riza said. "Let's get out of here, Edward."

Ed was inwardly joyous that he would not have to dance anymore. Roy was disappointed. He wanted to see the awkwardness of Fullmetal on the dance floor. He was about to signal the band to play the famous love theme from a popular film, but held on to the promise he made to Riza. _Don't interfere or I'll shoot you to death _were her exact words. It didn't help that they kept echoing again and again in his head.

Ed remembered why he agreed to Mustang's challenge in the first place. To show him he was dead serious. "Care for a dance first, Miss Riza?"

"You want to dance with me?" Riza said, uncertain. "I thought you hated dancing, second to milk."

"Yeah…but…I'd like you to have a good time. And the best way to have a good time is to see me embarrass myself," he laughed.

"Well, if it's all right with you, then sure, I would love to dance," Riza said. "Keep your eyes on my eyes only."

Ed blushed, knowing what she meant. "I may be short, but I always look upward," he said. _Crap! I called myself short! _

He led the lieutenant to the dance floor and signalled for a waltz. He occasionally looked at his feet, worried about the steps. Riza reminded him to keep his eyes on hers. _Relaxrelaxrelaxrelax _he repeated to himself.

Roy couldn't help smiling. The Fullmetal was a good dancer, but he was not going to tell him that. What he didn't understand was this feeling inside of him. It made him a little bit cheerful seeing Ed and the woman he loved dancing together. Thoughts of sabotage did not seem appealing anymore. Roy felt strangely proud that Fullmetal was becoming a man. As if…_as if he were my son?! _No, he told himself. He was still too angry with Fullmetal to identify himself as a father figure.

He reminded himself that Ed was stealing Riza from him.

That quickly destroyed the tiny spark of fatherly affection for Ed.


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: So sorry for not updating that often. University has taken a hold upon my brain for the past months. Now, I don't know if this is simply a result of my current dark mood, but this chapter is going to be a little bit different from the previous ones.)**

Roy Mustang paced back and forth in front of his mirror, constantly checking his reflection and his pocket watch. In a few minutes it would be time for him to drive to Riza's place and take her to the carnival.

_A trusty source told me that those women you 'date'…were only informants._

Roy shook his head to expel a hint of insecurity creeping under his skin. "You will not do this to me. Not tonight."

True, most of the women Roy supposedly dated were informants, but it did not mean that he was not charming in real life. Hell, he could charm his way into anyone's heart, given enough time. Be it women, higher-ups – anybody that mattered. Everyone except…

_Major General Olivier Armstrong_

Roy shuddered at the thought. Not that he was interested in her in _that way_. No matter how he tried, he could not befriend her. "Would not befriend her," he corrected himself. "Unless absolutely necessary."

_And of course, there was Riza whose affection (or lack of affection) would never depend solely on his charm._

_I bet you can't put on the moves in a carnival, you highly-strung fraidy cat._

Ed's taunt was still strong in his mind – not strong enough to evoke irk, but the throbbing sensation of disturbance. The carnival. _Oh memories._

Eventually he would have to enter that place that was disturbingly alive with the heavy scent of sugar, puke, and sweat. Nobody smelled these things the way he did, his sharp sense of smell further heightened by "the unfortunate incident" that befell him there. Though it could have been worse (that was what all the grown ups said, especially Professor Hawkeye), the carnival has lost its playful hold upon him. The fear that he had felt back then had been replaced by uneasiness.

Roy thought that perhaps the boy had not fully understood the extent of that incident. How it sometimes reaches into the present and takes him unwillingly back to that time. _Yes_, Roy thought. _He doesn't understand. He's only a boy._

Roy smiled. For the first time since that odd moment at the Xingese restaurant, he did not know why.

The Fullmetal Alchemist saw Roy and Riza from his place near seventh cotton candy stand. He had as much of a right to be a spectator as Roy was during Ed's date with Riza. Fullmetal eyed the pair and ground his teeth. Roy seemed perfectly fine.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Riza said without smiling. "Of all places, Col – "

"Call me by my first name on our 'friendly date'," he answered curtly.

"All…right," Riza said uncertainly. "Roy. Of all places, why here?"

Roy linked his arm around hers. "Simple. I want to face the damn wheel. Face it and get it over with."

The blonde smiled. "How about a quick bite to eat first?"

Roy chuckled wryly. "No cotton candy. I promised myself if I were going take one of those again, it wouldn't be in this place."

"Besides," Riza added, "Edward seems to be finishing them off just fine." The pair waved at the young alchemist making his way through his third. When Roy smirked, Ed, to his and Roy's surprise, returned an involuntary smile.

_The hell…_Ed thought. For a moment it seemed like he enjoyed the sight of those two, arm in arm, waving.

After a few hot dogs and ice cream – the closest thing to dinner – Roy suggested they take the East Ferris Wheel. "Let's start with something slow," he said before rethinking what he had just blurted out. "I mean, we don't want to have bad stomach problems do we?"

_Fail_. _A common word he heard young people say nowadays. If this was a time to use it, then by the saint of all bad conversational lines, this was it._

Riza held on to his shoulders, gently but firmly, and looked into his eyes. "Roy Mustang," she said. She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them they were hollow, cold – eyes of someone she and Roy both knew. "Foolish apprentice! Ease off and calm yourself down!"

Roy broke into laughter. "Wow…that was so much like…"

"Yes, I _know_," Riza was on the brink of laughter herself. "It's unnerving."

"Very Professor Hawkeye-ish," Roy said, clutching a stitch in his side. "It's as if he was really staring at me, suddenly arisen from the dead!"

Riza stopped smiling. Roy knew he had crossed a line. "Riza, I'm sorry, I…"

"It's fine," Riza shrugged it off. "We're too old to get caught up in these emotions."

"Speaking of which," Roy said. "It's time I dealt with mine."

He led her to the West Ferris Wheel instead. Roy walked briskly while Riza kept up the pace. "Why the change of mind? Or wheel?"

Roy put his hands in the pockets of his coat and kept walking. "Professor Hawkeye would have kicked me there anyway, had he been here."

Riza squeezed his shoulder. "He would have slapped you too." Oddly, she meant it in a heartfelt way. "And you would have stared at him fiercely."

"No tears," Roy said solemnly. "That was a rule." He had only broken it once during Hughes' funeral, but other than that, his eyes were as dry as the great desert east of Amestris. "Ah, look at us. We're becoming too serious."

"Well, we are heading toward West Ferris Wheel," Riza said. "Ready to relive some rather dark stuff are we?"

"Dark indeed," Roy nodded. "But not as dark as what Fullmetal had experienced at my age."

Riza turned around to see if the young alchemist was in earshot. He was sitting on a bench quite far away, but near enough to see them ride the Ferris wheel. She followed him to the West Ferris Wheel's base and gazed up at its height. "More than a hundred metres tall. It's rather amazing that you didn't form a fear of heights after this."

"Or cotton candy vendors," Roy chuckled. "Knives…or the wheel itself. I grew up normally, thankfully." Roy took her hand and settled into a gondola with her. "I had to."

Riza cocked her head to the side and looked at him the way she looked at Hayate when he did something amusing. Roy asked her why she was staring at him like that. "You know, Roy, my father never told you this but," she squeezed his hand tightly. "He was very proud of your handling of 'the incident'".

The raven-haired man blushed but stared out the window to hide it. "At least he was proud of _something_ I did."

Silence filled the gondola as the wheel started to rotate. Though Riza knew this was supposed to be a friendly date, she did not let go of his hand. He might need support later. Sure enough, as their gondola rose higher and higher, Roy's pulse quickened again. He tugged nervously on his collar, his hands started to sweat, but other than that, he said nothing nor did his eyes avert from the view.

"Weee…" he said faintly. "I can see the shrimp from here."

From the ground, Ed mock-saluted, though deep inside he was as impressed as Roy had been of him when he took Riza to the dance floor. _Well waddaya know…the bastard's got ba-_

"Brother!" a familiar high-pitched voice shouted. Ed nearly fell out of the bench. "Brother, you're here!"

"'Course I am, Al," Ed grunted. "I wouldn't miss the Colonel's 'rise to the top' for the world."

"Hate to tell you this, but I think this was a bad idea," Al said, shoving book bound newsprints in his face. They dated back nearly nineteen years.

Ed's eyes widened as he skimmed over the prints. He muttered a small 'oops' once he finished. He snapped it shut. "Looks like my informant was misinformed about this."

"Do something!" Al commanded. Ed shrugged.

"Can't do anything now. They're way up." Ed rubbed his head. For some reason it started to hurt the way it usually did when Winry clobbered him with a wrench for doing something unpleasant. He reckoned it was his conscience beating him up. "I should probably _aplgz_.."

Al leaned closer. "What's that? Sorry I couldn't hear you," he teased.

"Apple juice…" Ed mumbled. "Apol. Jize."

Al loomed over him, his voice becoming excited. "Still can't hear you!"

"_Apologize_," Ed finally blurted out. He threw his hands up in exasperation. "I hate you, Al."

"I love you too, big brother."

Roy's started breathing hard as they arrived at the very top. "It stopped right here."

Riza understood. "This was a bad idea, Roy. Are you sure you can…"

"I'm _fine_," Roy said. "Our gondola stopped right here. I remember seeing the downtown lights. Yes." He pulled her closer to the window. "I fit in here, haha, I squeezed myself through this thing!"

The sharp lieutenant sensed a manic mood developing. She tried to calm him down. "I admired your strength even back then. When I saw you dangling from the outside, I thought…"

Roy breathed in deeply. "I thought so too, but here I am."

_The cotton candy man had offered him the purple one for free. Eleven-year-old Roy could hardly believe it._

"_My shift ends right now," the man said. "Why don't we ride the West Wheel together?"_

_Roy explained that he planned to take the daughter of his master with him, but she preferred to roam the place alone. Independent and shy Riza._

_Professor Hawkeye had given the children a rare opportunity to visit the city with him while he hunted for rare alchemy books. He had reluctantly allowed them both to enter the carnival, trusting his young apprentice and daughter to be old enough to look out for themselves._

"_Should we look for your little friend?" the man asked. There was a malicious glint in his eyes, but Roy was too naïve to be wary of that. Professor Hawkeye taught him no more than alchemy. Roy thought about looking for her for a moment but decided he could always take her later._

_As the wheel rose higher and higher, Roy's confidence started to waver. First of all, he had grown quite dizzy in the last few seconds. He dropped the cotton candy. Second, the man was moving closer and closer. Roy nearly shouted when he saw a knife in the man's hand. Roy had a strong feeling that his throat would be cut._

_The dizzy boy kicked the man in the face and scrambled out the window. His vision was becoming blurry. Before he realized what he had done, he was hanging out the gondola's door, which had been torn open by his weight. The man stood over him, about to cut his fingers one by one. Roy's memory of the old nursery rhyme about little piggies made the him feel worse. _

_People from below yelled to the wheel operator to stop the ride, which he did. Unfortunately, the sudden halt caused the gondolas to swing. The knife fell out of the man's hand, missing Roy's body by inches. The lurch also left him dangling by only his right hand. He did not dare scream. _

"_Roy!" he could hear Riza yell from below. "Alchemy!!!"_

"_Oh sure, that's so easy from up here," Roy mumbled. "One hand and all."_

_The man pinned Roy's fingers under his shoes. "Die you little…"_

"_Bastard!" Roy yelled. "Lemme go!" After which, he realized his mistake. "Oops."_

_The man stomped harder as if to grant Roy's dear wish. The child lost his grip and dropped. _

_He fell unto one of the spokes that ran from the wheel's centre hubs. It was a short fall, but the force of the impact of the spoke to his stomach caused him to vomit. "Dammit," Roy thought. "In plain view for all to see."_

_Roy's troubles weren't over as he begun to slide down the spoke, which was a few degrees, less than ninety in angle. "Craaaaaaaaaaaaaap!"_

_Roy held on as best he could. He wrapped his legs around the spoke the way frogs did when clinging to the window bars. It did not stop his sliding, but it slowed it down somehow. He felt his limbs were on fire from the friction. Roy whipped out a piece of chalk from his shirt pocket and, quick as lightning, drew the first alchemic circle that he remembered. Part of the steel spoke was transmuted to give him a small platform. If he did not get down sooner, the wheel might collapse from imbalance. There were other passengers. _

_Roy sneered at the man in the top gondola. "Come get me, bitch! I'm an alchemist! What are ya gonna do?"_

_The man laughed and pulled out a gun. Roy sighed. "I need to stop asking him questions."_

_Roy dodged the first shot by pure luck. He hastily scribbled another circle and activated it. It sent spikes of steel flying up the gondola, wounding the man in the abdomen._

_Roy finally collapsed on his little platform – relieved and exhausted. "Professor Hawkeye better teach me that flame alchemy," the boy thought. "Would've escaped this quicker." He passed out._

_After being revived on the ground, Roy was told that the man – a serial killer, apparently – had died from the fatal wound. Though he was mildly disturbed that he had killed someone, he was pleased that the rest of the city's children would be safe. _

"_I'm happy you're…" Riza started. "Not dead." _

_Roy's knees were shaking, but he kept his tone playful. "Can't you just say 'alive' instead?"_

_Riza bit her lip. "I'm sorry I wasn't around."_

"_Hey, he would've taken us both anyway," Roy put an arm around her. "You're dad would've killed me if I put you in that situation."_

"_Roy Mustang!" Professor Hawkeye's croaky voice seemed to resound even in open areas. Roy wondered how that could even be possible. "Foolish apprentice!"_

_He slapped him so hard, Roy's lip started to bleed. The boy whimpered. "No tears, dammit!" his master shouted. "I will not be the master of a weak maggot."_

"_Father…" Riza started, but she choked on her words and stayed silent._

_As her father berated his young apprentice, the blood had drained from Roy's face and knuckles, but his eyes were full of fire. Despite the sickness from the poison and his exhaustion from the event, he stood still, attentive – fiercely attentive. She knew he was anything but _weak_._

"I hope you still don't blame yourself, Riza," Roy looked at her for the first time since they stepped into the gondola.

Riza smiled. "I blame myself for many other things related to the war, but…" she paused thoughtfully. "If I were with you then, I am certain I may have gone into the gondola with you and the man anyway." A pause. "Naïveté is a dangerous thing."

"Naïveté we carried to war…" Roy's voice trailed. "Enough of the past. We must look forward to the future." To put emphasis on his goal, he pointed forward, past the gondola's wall, past concrete objects and things visible to the eye. What he set his sights upon was an _idea _he would soon make a _reality_.

He put his arm around her just like he did before. "I think I've gotten over that incident. It was frightening, yes, but there are more fearsome things in the world."

Riza snuggled closer. "Your heart beats wildly. I don't believe you've gotten over it."

Roy took her chin in his fingers and lifted face up to gaze into his. "I think another factor is affecting it."

"Ambition?" she asked, while she already knew it wasn't that. His face was barely touching hers. She could feel his sharp intake of breath. He kissed her lightly on the lips. She kissed him back. Before she could snake her arms around his neck, he pulled away.

"Fullmetal," he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Whatever works for you," Riza said, copying a joke Havoc and Breda always exchanged. She knew what Roy meant, as she always did, but the mood was bleak, and she decided to brighten it somehow.

Roy stared at her, incredulously. Her expression was perfectly straight. Of course she was joking, but it was so _rare_ for her to joke about something even remotely sexual. He laughed longer than he had ever done. Laughed about a silly thing that probably came from Havoc and Breda; laughed about his fear of "the unfortunate incident" slowly shrinking and losing ferocity; laughed about the promise he and Fullmetal made about not being "romantic" with Riza even though both desired otherwise.

"I apologize for breaking the promise," Roy said, after he could laugh no more. "It's not fair to the kid."

"I did my fair share of damage," Riza said. "Before you pulled away of course. You have admirable sense of self-control." She smirked. "Must be difficult for you."

Roy tried to ignore her piercing gaze and sly little smile that made her look so beautiful. They were still sitting very close to each other. He could smell her perfume. It made him dizzy, but in a good way. "Oh _believe _me, it _is_."

They spoke no more till the ride came to a halt. At the wheel's base, Ed came forward to greet them.

"Colonel!" Ed walked towards him, the book-bind under his arm. He had no trace of arrogance in his voice. Roy was relieved that he did not notice the kiss he and Riza shared.

"What is it, Fullmetal?" Roy took on a kinder tone than he usually did with the boy.

"Well," Ed scratched his nape, unsure of how to say what he meant to say. He swallowed and proceeded to speak.

"I apologize for bringing _this _up," he said, gesturing to the wheel behind Roy. "My stupid source was not very 'accurate' about what exactly happened here."

Roy looked from Riza to Al (who was there all of a sudden, very keen to hear what Roy would say), then to Ed again. Ed did not look away. Roy thought that these were the eyes of a boy who was sincerely sorry for the error of his ways. A _son_ who had seen the error of his ways. His words gave the impression that he blamed this informant, but his eyes did not lie.

The colonel took the book-bind from the boy and flipped through it. _Excellent, they have it for rent in the library_. Roy groaned.

"Apology accepted," Roy handed the book-bind of hell back to him. "On one condition."

Ed sighed knowingly. He would lose his edge, but that would be better than the colonel losing his sanity. "Vanessa."

"W-what?" Roy stuttered. Vanessa, one of Madame Christmas' hand-picked contacts. A nice girl who was rather ditsy, but was bright enough. Wrong.

"Typical," Riza muttered. "A bimbo like that would give away info like _that_," she snapped with her fingers. "At the right price."

"She's not a…" Roy started, but he discontinued. If Vanessa gave away sensitive information right away (faulty info too), she was not a good contact, in military matters and personal matters. Mistakes were made. Nothing was perfect.

"Fire her ass," Ed said without hesitation. "If it were something concerning homunculi and such, we'd be dead."

"Fine," Roy said. "I shall inform Madame Christmas of this immediately. He faced Riza. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to cut this date short."

"Of course" she said. She put a hand on his and Ed's shoulder. "I think you should bring Fullmetal along."

"_Why?!!!_" they both whined. But it was too late. Riza had taken a walk of her own, and Al had left as soon as possible.


End file.
